Resized to 44% of original (view original)
original drawn by tiger_monta

Artist's commentary

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    M16ライフルの系譜

    世界中に多くのファンを持ち、僕自身愛してやまないアメリカ軍のM16ライフルの進化の過程を図にしました。
    ただ、SMGやカービンその他試作モデル、刻印やメーカー違いを含めると膨大な数になってしまうので、今回は米軍が取り扱い名称を定めたライフルモデルの外見上の大まかな変遷のみをまとめました。
    モデル名の横の()内はFSN(1959-1974))およびNSN(1974-)というアメリカ連邦政府・NATO軍共通備品番号です。普通AR-15の各モデルを語る際は、"Ｍ○○○"というコルト社の3桁のモデルナンバーを使うことが多いですが、この図の通り実際には同じモデルナンバーであっても時期によってかなり仕様が異なります。また米軍内の技術仕様書でも、このモデルナンバーが使われることはほとんどありません。(ただしＭ723とＭ725だけはそのまま米軍での取り扱い名称になっている)なので僕は、米軍におけるAR-15を考える上でコルトのモデルナンバーを使う意味は薄いと思っているので、これには載せていません。
    内容に関しては、できるだけ米軍が作成した公式資料に拠るようにしていますが、一次資料がまだ手にはいっていない物に関しては、民間の書籍および博物館の収蔵品を参考にしています。

    【出典】
    1. 19-058-306/ORD-62, Springfield Armory-Ordnance Corps, 1962
    2. 19-058-30/ORD-62, Springfield Armory-Ordnance Corps, 1962
    3. TO-11W3-5-5-1, Department of the Air Force
    4. TM 9-1005-249-14, Department of the Army, 1966
    5. 19-058-707/AMC-66, U.S.Army-Springfield Armory, 1966
    6. USARV Pam 750-30, United States Army Vietnam, 1967
    7. TM 9-1005-249-12, Department of the Army, 1968
    8. TM 9-1005-249-10, Department of the Army, 1990
    9. TM 9-1005-249-23&P, Department of the Army and Air Force, 1991
    10. Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective, R.Blake Stevens, Edward C. Ezell, 1992
    11. RIA 11857, Rock Island Arsenal Museum収蔵品, 画像参照：http://p.tl/9o7x
    12. RIA 11858, Rock Island Arsenal Museum収蔵品, 画像参照：同上
    13. TM 9-1005-319-10, Department of the Army, 1994
    14. Black Rifle II - the M16 into the 21st Century, Cristopher R. Bartocci, 2004
    15. Black Rifle II - the M16 into the 21st Century, Cristopher R. Bartocci, 2004
    16. FM 3-22.9(FM 23-9), Department of the Army, 2004
    17. TM 9-1005-319-10, Department of the Army, 1998
    18. TM 9-1005-319-23&P, Department of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, 2008

    上記の変遷と同時に、第4世代・第5世代(つまりM16A2以降)ではロアレシーバーの強度を補強するマイナーチェンジが度々施されており、現在までに5種のレシーバーの存在を確認しています。しかしこれらの変更が具体的にいつ行われたかはまだ確認出来ていないので、今後も調査していこうと思います。

  • Comments
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    279okshap
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    annotated with extra information on each, for the reading pleasure of no one ever. Hopefully it's not too confusing to read.

    Also, amusingly enough, the AR-15 is actually old enough to predate the current US flag in the upper left by a good two years or so.

    Edit: Credit to this site for a lot of the information pertaining to early variants; incidentally, their page here will help you greatly in deciphering my jargon, should you for some reason wish to do so. Credit to various sources all over the Internet for the rest. Citation in mind, all errors are of course mine and alone.

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    • 79248cms
    [hidden]

    279okshap said:

    annotated with extra information on each, for the reading pleasure of no one ever. Hopefully it's not too confusing to read.

    Also, amusingly enough, the AR-15 is actually old enough to predate the current US flag in the upper left by a good two years or so.

    Edit: Credit to this site for a lot of the information pertaining to early variants; incidentally, their page here will help you greatly in deciphering my jargon, should you for some reason wish to do so. Credit to various sources all over the Internet for the rest. Citation in mind, all errors are of course mine and alone.

    Fantastic work. Your extra information actually makes this image what it is. Great reference on more than you will ever need (or want :P) to know about the Armalite rifles.

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    • 279okshap
    [hidden]

    79248cm/s said:

    Fantastic work. Your extra information actually makes this image what it is. Great reference on more than you will ever need (or want :P) to know about the Armalite rifles.

    Much thanks - it was actually good reference for me as well, as I was able to review or find out a lot of this information while researching for the annotations.

    I've added a fair amount of new information in the past few hours, particularly about license production and production numbers for earlier models.

    Also, the commentary (for which thanks to Ironbottom, by the way) gave me the idea to write up what I would include for the US military/government carbine and SMG variants. (All of the following that are just 3-digit numbers are Colt model numbers.)

    Carbines:

    Show

    605
    607 (major variations: forward assist/no forward assist, 3.5"/4.5" moderator)
    608
    609/610 (XM177E1/XM177 - forward assist/no forward assist)
    629/630 (XM177E2/GAU-5/A - forward assist/no forward assist)
    653
    early 723/733 (14.5"/11.5" barrel)
    late 723
    727
    720 (XM4)
    920 (M4)
    921/921HB (M4A1 - standard/heavy barrel profile under handguard)
    925 (M4E2/M4 MWS)
    M4A1 SOPMOD Block I/Mk.18 Mod 0 CQBR (14.5"/10.3" barrel)
    M4A1 SOPMOD Block II/Mk.18 Mod 1 CQBR (14.5" and 12"/10.3" and 9.5" barrel and RIS)
    923 APC

    The XM231 and M231 FPW fit in there somewhere early on - they're their own little branch. Not sure if all SOPMOD-kitted M4A1s use the 921HB heavy barrel (haven't looked around enough), so I didn't specify it.

    Sub-machine guns:

    Show

    635 (Colt SMG - this was apparently the actual designation given by the US Marine Corps)
    635SD
    633

    Short family tree. I'm not aware of any later Colt 9mm SMG models being used by the US military/government.

    Of course, I can't make a proper lineage tree without creating an image or using some funky editing, so those are just lists. You could also pretty easily make trees for DMR and LSW variants.

    Also, I should probably clarify that the information given in the annotations is really a fairly basic introduction to difference between (and within) variants - if it covered every change, internal and external, as well as production numbers and serial number blocks, I could print it and use it as a doorstop.

    Updated by 279okshap

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    • 279okshap
    [hidden]

    Deleted reference to USN M16A3s being used by mainly "SEAL, Seabee, and Security units"; the DID article cited by Wikipedia for this assertion mentions units nowhere. Widespread adoption (M16A3s are to have replaced M14s in shipboard use except line-throwing per PEO LMW plan and later reports) fleetwide has rendered this kind of arbitrary granularity within the USN fairly moot in any case.

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